Go through a Morning Routine with me!
Grab your coffee and read along with me!
Hi there mama, let’s talk a little bit about morning time shall we? It can be the best or the not so preferred time of day. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, working mom, or work-from-home mom, mornings can be a struggle. I’ll let you in on a little secret though, it is my favorite time of day!
I like early mornings… like really early mornings. When no one else in the house is awake and it’s still dark outside type of early mornings. I may or may not, but probably am, sitting here typing this in one of those early mornings as we speak.
Mornings are always a fresh start to a new day and a chance to start over again with building good habits, having a better attitude, and just overall facing the days challenges. Starting with a good morning routine can help to make the rest of your day go smoother. It’s been my experience that creating and sticking to a good morning routine requires quite a bit of self-discipline, especially for those that are not natural early risers.
I’ll preface this by saying that I do not yet have it all figured out and I still work toward my morning routine. In fact, in my stage of life with multiple little kids I would not say that I have a set morning routine apart from a few things that I try to do each morning. Sometimes they all get done right away, and sometimes they get done by 11:59 AM or sometimes not at all.
I don’t know about you but if I have to be “mom” the moment I wake up in the morning, it tends to lead to a grumpy day. I have found that I NEED that quiet alone time in the morning in order to be the best version of myself so that I can be my best self for my family.
Taking advantage of the first hour of your day and creating a great morning routine can help you feel in better control of how the rest of the day will go. It does not matter if the next few hours result in a crazy morning, you have had time to rest and rejuvenate yourself so that you are in control of your emotions and are better equipped to take care of others in a more loving an caring manner.
Let me share my Mom Morning Routine with you!
I am personally a morning person and am not a night owl in any regard. I set my alarm clock for a wake-up time of 4:00 AM and usually get out of bed between 4:15/4:30 AM. In all fairness I am certain I was born this way because I have been setting my alarm to get up early since Junior High.
I intentionally wake this early because I cherish having a quiet hour or so before my early risers wake up. Waking this early usually gives me enough time to at least get a few of my favorite morning activities done by myself. This helps get me get into a good mental state for the day as well as allows me to get a few things accomplished without having to multi-task in also caring for my children and if I may be so bold…ahem.. listen to whining.
I start by getting coffee started, and if my husband or I were on track the night before we would have already gotten the coffee set up and ready to just hit the “brew” button.
After I start the coffee, I heat up some warm water, add a drop of doTerra lemon essential oil (or juice from half a lemon if I have any on hand), Redmond’s real salt, raw honey, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and a dash of cayenne pepper. This is a nice little detox drink that is a great way to start the morning off. I always try to get it in before my morning coffee. (The honey helps reduce the kick from the ACV, lemon, and cayenne)
This time of the day is my “me” time so I try to avoid doing any chores. The only time I may make an exception is if I need to start a load of laundry or really want to get some bread or muffins made early. I will admit that sometimes it’s just nice to bake in the kitchen alone.
The next thing I like to do is my morning prayers, gratitude journaling, whatever devotional I am working through, read a chapter from my Bible, and then plan out my day and make my to-do list in my planner. Usually that takes about 15-30 minutes. I then spend the time I have left before my kids wake up working on a blog post, resources, emails, or any other personal development that I like to try and do before my kids wake up.
At this time, my 2 year old is usually the first kid awake, usually between 5:30/6:00 AM, followed fairly closely by his two older brothers. It quickly becomes a busy morning. My baby is the last to wake up, usually around 7:00 AM. We do not allow screen time in the morning but my husband enjoys playing with the kids before having to leave for work. While they are having their “guy time” I sneak off and get myself ready for the day by getting dressed, putting on makeup if I want to, and doing my hair.
My kids love helping me cook so I usually have some helpers in the kitchen. They help me get breakfast going and we help my husband get out the door amid the hustle and bustle and chaos. While the boys are eating I am usually feeding the baby and trying to eat a healthy breakfast myself. One of our go-to breakfasts is homemade pancakes. I like to bulk up the pancakes with protein either by adding eggs and raw milk to the mix or by adding some protein powder.
During breakfast is usually a great time to do our “morning time” or morning menu. Everyone is sitting and eating and attentive. We have a calendar in our kitchen that I quickly go over and then we jump into that month’s morning menu.
After breakfast we clean up the kitchen, get dressed, teeth brushed, and then *hopefully* jump into our morning homeschool routine.
Here’s a quick reference of our morning:
4:30/5:00 – I wake up, make coffee, drink detox water
5:00- Gratitude journal, prayer, planning
5:30-6:30- Work on my online business until kids wake up
5:30-6:30- Kids usually start waking up sometime in here
6:30- Get ready for the day
7:00-8:00- Start breakfast/Morning Menu
8:30- Kitchen clean up, teeth brushed, dressed
9:15-11:00- Play, morning chores, outside time, homeschool loop
11:00-12:00- start getting lunch ready
Our morning routines sometimes change throughout the year, as the seasons change. Sometimes my personal routine has to change too depending on the season of life or motherhood I am in, but I find that developing a routine instills comfort and familiarity into my day that I desperately need. Beginning my day with quiet time, prayer, and planning helps set my mind right for the day.
Stay Encouraged,
Alycia